Things you do a lot on bass...

[Harper]

Or, What is the "bread and butter" of your style?

I'm finding myself going with a lot more root-fifth-octave action on my grooves and fills. I used to do a lot more "poor man's John Entwistle", pentatonic type stuff, but have moved away from it lately. I don't think of my playing as having matured with aged or whatever, but I really like the sound and feel of the R-5-O.

Besides, it's only rock and roll.

[bassbully]

Same since that is allot of the roots of bass playing. I stay there and add the third and 7ths also, I love walking basslines and adding tasteful fill when needed.

[Harper]

Originally Posted by bassbully

Same since that is allot of the roots of bass playing. I stay there and add the third and 7ths also, I love walking basslines and adding tasteful fill when needed.

This is pretty much where I'm at. I used to *really* over think things, trying to come up with clever/notey bass parts for every song. It took me quite a few years to realize that was almost never the right thing for The Song, especially in a 3 piece, poppy rock band. Most of my favorite songs are pretty straightforward as far as the bass goes, so I'm aiming that way myself.

[funkybass]

I use r-5-8 a lot as well.

[Definitely]

R-3-5-7-8 lately ive been getting pretty complicated with my riffs. I've also realized I use hammer-on pull-offs extensively on fills and really need to cut that down a bit, maybe add some slides or hold a note.

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by Harper

This is pretty much where I'm at. I used to *really* over think things, trying to come up with clever/notey bass parts for every song. It took me quite a few years to realize that was almost never the right thing for The Song, especially in a 3 piece, poppy rock band. Most of my favorite songs are pretty straightforward as far as the bass goes, so I'm aiming that way myself.

I'm in an originals band and have to write all my own parts. The band always makes me simplify my parts after I work my butt off to come up with something different I have learned now to keep it simple then add parts but the basics still work. It allows the other instruments to shine which really is our role.

[PimasterPearson]

I find that when a song stays on a major chord for a few beats, I like to do a quick 5-6-1 hammer-on.

[lostinjanuary]

I like to throw in a little 1-2-5-2-1 once in a while. I get stuck with the pentatonic a lot thought too. When the tempo isn't too fast I'll add a 1-8-9-8-5 or a 1-5-6-5 depending on the song.

[finfrocka]

lately I've been ending chords on the minor 3rd instead of the root. Also using a ton of dorian and mixolydian in my fills and lines.

[peledog]

Using more intervals in certain keys/scales makes for interesting fills.

I like r-6, 2-7, 3-8 (trill, on flat 9), or if it's a bluesy song, I like doing 8-9 hammer, 7-8 hammer, 7 flat 8 trill (sort of a Paul Jackson thing).

[Vlazreus]

I generally just do riffs based on the root and the 2 notes above it, rather than working with chord progressions. ether that or melodies that tend to span the whole scale. I like working in phrygian and Locrian mode, as well as chromatic scales. when I do use arpeggios I tend to strive to find the most dissonant and abstract ones possible. I have a fondness for just rocking the tritone. and two handed tapping.

[FaithNoMan]

Muted accents, pickstyle.

They make the bassline funkier, and make cool stuff happen with sounded(un-muted) accents.

Like, the note "comes on" differently when I use them as compared to just playing the sounded notes, if that makes any sense.

[Nev375]

Throwing in little 3 and 4 note chromatic walk-ups to a note.
Usually when all the usual tricks don't quite fit the groove.

Also finding the obvious bassline and doing something slightly different than that.

[JimmyM]

Delivering the goods without fuss is my calling card.

[bradjonesbass]

A lot of ghost notes. I'm a big Rocco fan. Since I started playing the seven exclusively I don't slap much. I find myself going high on the neck for little piano, bass and light drum interludes, playing a melodic part then back down to the bottom for the meat of the song. I play mostly funk, R&B and gospel, so that works.

[tonedeaf]

When I was playing in an original band and writing my own lines, I wrote lines that I think were more creative/melodic. I wrote from a singer's mindset and focused much less consciously on chord structure.

Now I mostly play other people's music, and I find myself falling a few "go to" structures. 1-5-8, 1-b3-5-8-9 on minor chords, 1-5-6-8, and variations thereof. I also find myself playing the major 7 of the next chord when changing chords lot. Nothing fancy, but it almost always sounds good. I think I've also learned to include more rhythmic variation using just root notes instead of running through entire scales all time.

Like others have said, I play less flashy than I used to but I don't think I've lost anything. In fact, I think I'm a much better listener, supporter, and player now than I was when I played more notes per song.

[icecycle66]

I screw up a lot; although that may be more of a technique of mine than it is a style.


Really, I do a lot of octave stuff. Play three octave at a time, bounce back and forth on two, or slide octaves. They rarely clash with what's going on but still add a little spmething extra. It also keeps my hands from getting bored and wanting to play fill and runs and weedly-weedly-weeeeeeeeee.

[Gaius46]

Originally Posted by tonedeaf

When I was playing in an original band and writing my own lines, I wrote lines that I think were more creative/melodic. I wrote from a singer's mindset and focused much less consciously on chord structure.

Now I mostly play other people's music, and I find myself falling a few "go to" structures. 1-5-8, 1-b3-5-8-9 on minor chords, 1-5-6-8, and variations thereof. I also find myself playing the major 7 of the next chord when changing chords lot. Nothing fancy, but it almost always sounds good. I think I've also learned to include more rhythmic variation using just root notes instead of running through entire scales all time.

Like others have said, I play less flashy than I used to but I don't think I've lost anything. In fact, I think I'm a much better listener, supporter, and player now than I was when I played more notes per song.

+100. I was going to say the exact same thing. My mantra these days is "play one note but play it really well." I'd rather concentrate more on the timing and sound a few notes than play a 2 octave scalar run.

[tonedeaf]

This sounds corny when I say it out loud, but I've come to believe that people can feel, if not hear, how much love I put into each note. The more love, the better it sounds, no matter how simple or complex what I'm playing is.

Maybe "attention" or "feel" are just as good as "love" to describe what I'm talking about.

Getting back to the original question of the post, putting care into every note is what I hope people notice or feel when I play, whether they say it that way or not.

[Phalex]

I play fairly simply. I do seem to favor clipped/muted notes when they work for a particular situation. I get off on dropping a huge note, and then choking it right as the drummer hits his snare.

And what Tonedeaf said! ^